Staying in San Antonio serves Castro's future

Mayor Julián Castro's announcement this week that he's seeking a third term here was about as shocking as a sunrise, at least among the ink-stained wretches who cover politics in this newsroom.

I was surprised, though, to learn that others in this city had actually taken seriously another prospect: that Castro would jump ship in South Texas for the high waters of Washington, D.C., climbing aboard the Cabinet of President Barack Obama.

One theory went something like this:

After delivering an electrifying keynote speech last year at the Democratic National Convention, one that helped Obama attract a key segment of the Latino electorate, Castro was a shoo-in for, say, secretary of labor, vacated just two weeks ago by Hilda Solis. And our city's meteorically rising mayor would be eager to leap at the opportunity.

I agree with only the first part of this theory. A post in the president's Cabinet likely was there for the mayor's taking. Just what post, I can't say, but if the president had asked the prime mover behind Pre-K 4 SA to lead the Department of Education, we might be in Castro's dust right now.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, alas, is not leaving office at the moment. Neither is Castro (he hopes).

Why not?

“There are exciting things that are happening right now in San Antonio, and every day that I've been mayor, I've enjoyed coming to work to pursue a vision of becoming a brainpower community that is the liveliest city in the United States,” Castro said on YouTube, “one that is economically prosperous with well-educated folks throughout our city and a place that all of us are proud to call home.”

This political mission statement fits snugly with the mayor's personal narrative, the one he shared with millions of Americans from the spotlight of the national convention. (He owes much to his grandmother, who emigrated as an orphan from Mexico and toiled as a maid, a cook and a baby sitter to ensure opportunity for her family.)

It's a story of self-sacrifice that gives credence to one of Castro's most valuable political assets, a perception by the press and the public that he's sincere when he says he cares about San Antonio and the lives of its residents.

How would it look if the mayor who dreamed of SA2020 bolted three years into the Decade of Downtown?

Also, there's this: The future of the 38-year-old wunderkind as an elected official is wide open, and San Antonio is currently a subject of studied wonder at signs of unprecedented economic growth.

Politicians, at least the savvy ones, don't jump ships that are lifting.

In the annals of delusions of persecution, Michael Cuellar discovered last week that while he might be banned from City Hall, he's perfectly welcome at Bexar County Jail.

Cuellar, 34, was forced to resign last year from his job as a contract coordinator for the Fire Department after showing signs of “frustration/stress in the workplace,” according to interdepartmental documents. In August, he was banned from city buildings because staff considered him a threat.

In October, Cuellar filed an ethics complaint against former Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni and others, resulting in a written rebuke for DiGiovanni. And last week, an officer pulled him over on Northeast Loop 410, according to a police report.

The officer told Cuellar he'd been pulled over for speeding, to which Cuellar responded, “I don't believe you.

“Do you know who I am?” Cuellar asked the officer, who did not.

The officer then asked Cuellar for proof of insurance, and Cuellar began recording the officer with his cellphone.

Cuellar “stated to me that the city was harassing him, and that the only reason I stopped him was because I was ordered by the city to harass him,” the report states.

At one point, Cuellar grabbed for the officer's ticket book, something officers generally dislike. He also refused to sign the citation, resulting in his arrest.